


Should've Just Gone To Norway

by MsBluebell



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Biased POV, Bullying, Canonical Character Death, Character Study, Discrimination Against Non Ultimate, Everyone Has Issues, Everyone at Hope's Peak has terrible parents, F/F, F/M, Internalized Homophobia, Juzo Does His Best, M/M, Natsumi Wants Hinata To Be Her Peko, Sato hates your fav, Siblings, The Munasaka Is So Subtle You Have To Squint To See It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2017-10-24
Packaged: 2019-01-22 07:17:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12476260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsBluebell/pseuds/MsBluebell
Summary: Kuzuryu Natsumi’s brother was her entire world.Sato’s brother may not have been her entire world, but he was a giant part of it.





	Should've Just Gone To Norway

**Author's Note:**

> Before people go into this fic I want to make a few things clear.  
> 1) This story is mainly narrating Sato's thoughts and actions, so it is very biased and missing context from canon.  
> 2) I decided that, for the purposes of this fic, Hope's Peak has a Trail-Based Entrance Exam that is basically imposible to pass.  
> 3) There is some serious Interalized Homophobia and Bullying going on here that may be triggering for some people. So please be mindful as you read the fic.  
> 4) Sato is now a first name.

Sakakura Sato tries to enter Hope’s Peak Academy as the SHSL Archer.

Because she was not scouted by the SHSL Scout or his tea she has to go through as series of trails involving great feats of archery. Starting from a simple target practice and growing more and more in difficulty until the twentieth trial. If even one of these trials are failed, she will not be accepted into Hope’s Peak as an Ultimate Student.

The trails were notoriously difficult, and no one had passed even one of them in well over thirty years. But she’d been determined to enter the Ultimate’s course, to prove herself worthy of walking the same grounds as her dear older brother, to be where her precious friend Mahiru would be.

She’d trained for months beforehand; her father’s high expectations and her mother’s distant apathy ringing in her ears louder than the twang of her bowstring. Arrow after arrow hitting her targets perfectly; each shot more difficult than the last. All day, everyday, until her bowstring snapped or her target was too broken to stand. Her brother had helped her. He’d built her targets and replaced her bowstrings whenever she needed. He was a doting thing, her older brother, always there to make the impossible seem possible. He was there for her when her father hadn’t designed to or when her mother hadn’t wanted to be. 

Juzo had done more for her than either or them had ever bothered.

She’d wanted so badly to pass the trails, to prove she was worthy of standing on the same level as him, to be worthy of standing next to Mahiru. The desire to reach that golden place of approval her parents never showed burned inside her like nothing she’d ever felt before. 

So she stood in the stadium, one trail after another, Juzo dressed in his security uniform behind the judges panel, watching from afar with the most dazzling look of pride on his face. That look, that look, made her feel powerful; like she could do anything. 

She made each shot in the first nineteen trails. Blindfolded, upside down, it didn’t matter when she felt those eyes on her back. Even knowing how much he disapproved of her decision to come to Hope’s Peak, even knowing how much he wanted her to pick a different school, nothing could diminish the hope she felt seeing that look on his face. 

It wasn’t until her last trail, when she was sure the fire in her heart would help her make it through, that she failed.

She was to hang upside down, dangling by one ankle, and make a shot through a hoop that would ricochet of a medal plate and nick on apple off the top of a dummy and into the center of her target. If she could make the shot without damaging any part of the dummy than she would be accepted as the SHSL Archer and be awarded the first student to make it through the applications trail in over thirty years. 

The shot was absurdly difficult, impossible most would say, but she’d come farther than anyone else in the trails had in years. The thrum of victory was already playing in her ears, and she could taste sweet approval on her tongue. A life next to Mahiru, where she was meant to be, was within her reach. With such promise in hand and Juzo’s pride steering her on how could she possibly fail?

So she burned all the fire in her soul an took the shot.

The arrow made it through the hoop, hit the plate, skewered the apple, and hit the target dead center.

Hope burst in her chest; she swelled with so much happiness that she could have died there with no regret in her heart. When she turned to face her brother the smile he had on his face could have lit even the darkest of caverns. He clapped louder than any of the judges, and any attempts to regain a neutral composure were lost in the face of how proud he was of her.

Until the examiner announced she’d failed.

Never in her life had she’d felt such a whiplash in emotion. It felt something akin to the floor dropping from under her and falling into a never-ending abyss. The bitter tang of failure and disappointment never felt half so strong as it did in that moment.

Her arrow had nicked the top of her dummy’s skull. It was a small thing, barely a scratch, but it was enough to guarantee her failure.

“That’s bullshit!” Juzo had snarled, pink eyes narrowed at the judges. “The thing barely scratched, and that was with all the other shit you had her do. Jus let her in.”  
“We are an Academy of excellence Sakakura.” Once judge commented coolly. “If were to relax our standards even a bit than we would allow our doors to open to all sorts of rabble.”

“Rabble!?!” Juzo’s voice had gone dangerously quiet. He’d taken an almost menacing step forward. “That girl pulled off an impossible feat. She’s the best archer to ever step in this school. It’d be stupid not to let her in.”

“The rules are very clear Mr. Sakakura.” Another judge piped in smugly. “We aren’t going to change them just because of your nepotism.” 

The look of rage on her brother’s face was a sight to behold. His shoulders shook badly, but he contained his anger admirably despite that. Juzo had never had the best temper even in the best of time, and it was a testimate to how much self-control he was practicing to keep from laying the judges all flat.

“Alright, first of all…” Her brother ground out.

“Juzo.” Her voice was terribly raspy, the disappointment sounding clearer than she would have liked. “It’s alright…I’ll find a different school.”

“That’s not the point!” He snapped. “You earned your spot here.” 

“No, she didn’t.” A judge replied. “Next contestant please!”

☆♤♡◇♧☆

Arriving home with the news of her failure was met with her father’s cold scoff and her mother’s withering disapproval. Mrs. Sakaura hadn’t even bothered with words for her failure daughter, spiriting away with a glass of wine without even so much as a backward glance, likely going to speak with her friends about how successful her son was with no mention of Sato anywhere between her bragging.

Mr. Sakakura had, at least, decided a few mocking words would be best for encouraging his daughter not to be such a failure. Her father’s smart business suit perfectly straight, without wrinkle, as he drilled her with insults. His bright pink eyes cruel and mocking, nothing like her brother’s warm pride. Her father was a bad shadow, the worst parts of both her and Juzo mixed into a single nightmare of a man. 

He wanted her out of the house if she was going to continue to be such a waste of resources.

Sato couldn’t even muster up the strength for a defense; she just crawled tearfully into her bed. Curling on her side beneath the blankets did nothing to silence the sobbing that escaped her. 

Her sleep was filled with tears and the bitter sting of defeat.

☆♤♡◇♧☆

Mahiru, sweet Mahiru, her best friend since the first day of middle school, came to comfort her the day after her great failure.

“Your brother told me what happened.” The redhead played with a wrapped package nervously. “I know how much you wanted to get into the school, and what happened was very unfair, and I know it doesn’t make it better, but I got you a present to cheer you up!”

Sato’s heart skipped a beat.

“Thank you Mahiru.” She smiled, hoping she could express with the simple expression alone just how much her friend’s sweet gesture meant to her. The viridian haired girl plucked the gift out of the other girl’s hands and examined the brightly wrapped package thoroughly. “Can I open it now?”

“Of course!” Mahiru perked up, her nervousness melting away instantly. She readied her camera, waiting for the perfect moment to capture Sato’s face. “Go ahead.”

Sato gently peeled back the pink wrapping paper, folding it gently so she could save it for her scrapbook, and lifting the lid to the box underneath.

Her heart stopped.

“Oh Koizumi.” She breathed, pulling out a beautiful picture of the two of them at the last summer festival. A beautiful shot of the two of them, dressed in yukata and admiring the fireworks, Mahiru’s mother had taken this in a rare moment of peace and presence in her daughter’s life. Sato had honestly thought she’d never see the picture, but here it was, framed lovingly in a beautiful picture frame held lightly by the fluffiest stuffed bear. “Thank you!”

There were several snaps as her dearest friend’s camera captured the moment of joy forever.

Sato knows the picture won’t be nearly as beautiful as Mahiru’s other work, not when it’s a shot of a someone like her, but it feels her with joy nonetheless. Seeing Mahiru’s proud face, knowing that she’s the one that put it there, makes her heart drum heavy in her chest. 

Sato can’t help the blush that paints her cheeks.

Mahiru was…

“Hold on Sato, keep still.” The photographer commands, her camera continuously snapping as she adjusts her own position. “That’s a cute face; keep it still!”

The archer would very much like to follow the command, but her face is so warm she couldn’t squash the instinct to bury her face into the bear’s white fur. 

“Sato!” Mahiru reprimands playfully. “I told you to stay still!”

“I can’t help it.” The viridian girl laughs. “You know compliments like that always get to me!”

“Be more confident!” The redhead demands. “Or you’ll never survive when we go fountaining in Norway!”

Visiting Norway and photographing the landscapes and wildlife was a particular dream of Mahiru’s, one she was determined to share with Sato. She often joked that she’d need a master archer to protect her from the bears; the archer in question would just laugh along and agree.

“Well then.” Sato perked up and struck the most confident pose she could think of. “Who am I to deny the SHSL Photographer?”

☆♤♡◇♧☆

Juzo was at her parent’s house the next day for “a surprise lunch on me”. It was a testament to how concerned he must have been that he came to pick her up himself rather than text her for a meeting. He wearily works through greetings with their parents; looking all the world like he’d rather be anywhere else.

He rushes her out of the house a little too quickly; she doesn’t even have time to put on her makeup before Juzo is grabbing her wrist and pulling her down the street. Strange that he was more eager to get away from their parents than she was.

It doesn’t take long for them to reach her favorite restaurant. Juzo doesn’t even bother waiting for anyone to notice them before plopping down at their normal table. He calls out their normal order to the chef before she’s even fully settled in her seat. 

Her brother throws a wave at the owner before turning to face her.

“You look nice…” He starts awkwardly, because of course he’s awkward. He had never been good with handling all his feelings. There’d been times as a little girl when all she had to do was get a little teary-eyed and he’d bend over backwards to make her happy. 

“I haven’t even brushed my hair.” She can’t help but tease.

Juzo’s flustered face was totally worth it.

“I meant that…” he struggled with his words for a bit, becoming more frustrated with every failed attempt to find the right words. “You know…with the…”

He finally slams his hands on the counter. “Are you alright? That whole test was bullshit and I don’t want you to be upset about it!”

That ruins her mood a little bit.

“I’m alright.” She lies easily enough, but she knows even before she says it that Juzo will call her out on it.

“Bullshit.” He doesn’t disappoint. “I know you had your heart set on that school.”

Sato bites her lip; the weight of her failure shrouding her shoulders. 

“Hey, don’t let it get to you.” Her brother drops a heavy hand on her head. The callouses on his hand rubbing comfortingly against her skull, just like when he’d pat her head after long days of exercise when she’d sit in the stands waiting for his boxing lessons to end. He always pet her head when he was done. 

She smiled, her purple eyes going a bit teary.

“I’m sorry.” She turned her face away from him; trying not to let the chef see her eyes as he set her order down. “I just…I just wanted to be like you.”

The stricken look on Juzo’s face made her wish she hadn’t said a thing.

“You.” He rubs the back of his head, his green hair fluffed from the nervous habit. “You really, really, shouldn’t.”

Sato doesn’t quite understand, because as far as she’s concerned her brother is one of the most amazing people out there. Yea, he could be short tempered, violent, and angry. But he was the one who stood by her when she was little. He was the one who came to her school plays, taught her to ride a bike, and picked her up from archery lessons. It wasn’t their parents who held her when she cried, or tied her shoes when they were loose, or taught her to stand up to bullies. Their parents never did that, their parents never did anything, it was all Juzo.

“But I did.” Sato confesses. “I wanted to make you proud.”

Juzo turns a deep red. “I’m already proud. You don’t need to get into that damn school for it.”

“Maybe.” Her eyes are still welling with tears. “But it was more than that.”

The boxer lets out a deep sight, already regretting his next question. “Than what is it about?”

Sato freezes.

“I…” Her throat feels dry. “…Mahiru was recruited as the SHSL Photographer...” 

“Yea.” Juzo nods. “And? You wanted to go to the same school?”

“Yea.” She sighs deeply. Feeling her shoulders slump from the sudden lack of energy, Sato pushes her food out the way and buries her face into her arms. The shame was too much to withstand, and she didn’t dare face her brother after the admission.

“Hey.” Juzo pats her back, voice unusually soft. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”

If only you knew, she thinks to herself. He wouldn’t say it like that if he knew. He wouldn’t be patting her back and trying comfort her if he knew how disgusting she was. And that’s what she was: disgusting. Her feelings were gross and disgusting all the way down. If he knew…

What would he do?

She doesn’t want to think of her beloved brother being disgusted with her. 

Would he turn away? Would he hit her? Would he ask her to leave and never show her disgusting face around him again?

Her brother loved her, she never doubted that, but love could only go so far. 

“I just…” Sato wants to tell him, but knows better than to do so. “I wanted to help build her dream.”

Something about what she said must have struck a cord, if the look on his face was anything to go by. He’s quiet for several long moments, not even bothering to touch his food, before he seems to come to a decision.

“Look.” He drops his hand on her head again; voice strong and sure. “If you really wanna get into that school so bad…I’ll see what I can do…but you have to listen to what I say. Alright?”

Sato pulls up, her heart beating with renewed hope. “You mean it?”

“Yea.” Juzo take a regretful bite out of his food. “I’ll get you in.”

☆♤♡◇♧☆

"Getting her in" turned out to be registering as a reserve course student.

It was far from the ideal solution, but the joy of being close to Mahiru far outweighed any disappointment she felt from being rejected as an Ultimate. There were even dorms assigned for students who wished to live near campus. Juzo had been kind enough to set her up in one of these dorms; meaning she could move out of their parents house the moment one had been assigned to her.

It hadn’t even taken a day for the siblings to gather what few belongings the younger owned. Her brother’s “not girlfriend” Yukizome Chisa, former SHSL Housekeeper, had helped them with the move. With Yukizome’s help Sato soon found herself with the cleanest and most tidy dorm possibly within the entire city.

Sato knew there was a reason she’d liked Yukizome so much. She hoped her brother bucked up and asked her out soon. Hopefully that Munakata jerk didn’t stroll in and sweep her of her feet before Juzo worked up the courage to admit to his super secret crush. 

Yukizome had been kind enough to make lunch for the three of them. The meal was a series of tiny sandwiches layered in tiny cute shapes on their plates, the group forced to kneel closely together around the short table in order to make room for all the food.

“Dig in!” Yukizome chimed, clapping her hands together happily.

Sato wasted no time grabbing a sandwich from a cat shaped pile.

“Yukizome.” Juzo grumbled as he attentively picked his own sandwich from the pile. “This is way too much food.”

“Ohhhh, don’t be silly.” Yukizome waved. She plucked her own choice of sandwich from a different plate and took a large bite; chewing happily before bothering to finish her response. “I’ve seen you eat mountains of food.”

“I have a diet plan.” Juzo’s sigh was heavier than Sato honestly thought it should be. “And so does Sato, actually.”

“It’ll be fine.” Yukizome waved away the concern just as easily as the last complaint. “Besides, this is a celebration! The littlest Sakakura is spreading her wings and taking flight! She’s becoming independent! She’s starting the rest of her life! You should take the chance to celebrate while you can! Soon some handsome young man might come in to sweep her off her feet before you even get a chance to notice!”

Sudden nausea spread through the pits of her stomach. The sandwich tasted like ash on her sandpaper tongue, and the girl has a hard time swallowing the food. She pushes her hand over her mouth and forces the food down. 

The thought of her and a…man.

She tries to imagine it; the feel of a mans lips on her own or the feel of his flat body against her own. It doesn’t feel right, no matter how much she tries. A boy would be right for her, even one that looked pretty as a girl wouldn’t work. The thought of being in the bedroom with a guy thrusting between her legs…

No.

Guys…guys weren’t for her.

Girls however…

Lilac eyes teared up; she was always crying lately wasn’t she? Pathetic. How had she expected to stand on the same level as Juzo and Mahiru when she stooped to such lows? 

“Hey.” Yukizome threw herself across the table and cupped Sato’s face; rubbing away the tears with her thumbs. “Did I say something upsetting? I’m sorry. Please don’t cry.”

Yukizome was so unwaveringly kind and sweet. It was comforting to know that Juzo at least had a wonderful taste in women.

Juzo’s hand was on her back, trying to rub away her worries. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry.” The girl pulled away from them. “I’ve been so bad at that lately.”

Juzo grunted. Yukizome elbowed him in the ribs before turning back to her. “There’s nothing wrong with that! It’s been an emotional couple of weeks for you. Change is scary, y’know?”

“Yea.” Sato’s nausea was minimizing a bit. “Yea it is.”

“It won’t be so scary after a while though!” Yukizome beams. “It’ll be weird to sleep in a new place, but you’ll make tons of friends to distract you from that! And the staff building is only a short walk away! Sakakura wouldn’t turn away his own sister; would you?”

“Absolutely not.” Juzo answers promptly. “You have any trouble, you come to me, just make sure I’m off shift.”

Sato nods silently.

☆♤♡◇♧☆

Unfortunately for Sato, her brother wasn’t an idiot.

It didn’t take long for Yukizome to make her way home after the meal, the days work already done and the room perfectly ready for a teenage girl to start her school life, perfectly secure in the knowledge that the youngest Sakakura just needed some time to adjust to her new living conditions.

Juzo knew his sister a bit better than Yukizome though, and was familiar enough with her mood to know she was too much like him to cry over a new apartment. 

“Alright, out with it.” He demanded as soon as the housekeeper was out of sight. “What are you really upset about.”

Sato paused, considering her options carefully. She wanted to tell him, wanted desperately for him to understand, but it was too…

“It’s…about the boys.” She tries. The words tastes heavier than she’d thought they would. Such simple things to mutter, but their impact could change so much. Everything could go wrong so easily if she couldn’t find the right words to say.

“What? Don’t tell me you’re worried about them?” Her brother scoffed, dropping his hand on her head and ruffling her hair. “You’ll be beating ‘em off with a stick. Just remember those punches I taught you and it should be fine.”

The girl couldn’t help the smile cracking her lips. “I doubt that. They’ll likely flee in terror as he sight of me.”

“Good. Weed out the weak ones, have them brawl over you.”

“A duel to the death over my hand?” She can’t help but laugh at the idea of plain and ordinary Sakakura Sato, who inherited the worst of both her parents traits, being the center of a massive love brawl. “What if I don’t like the winner?”

“Challenge him for the right to your own hand.” Juzo nodded confidently. “It can be an archery match. You’ll leave the poor fucker crying.”

“But then what will I do if I want to get married?”

Juzo shrugged. “Fuck it, you’re top dog by then, date whoever you want.”

Sato laughed. If only it were that easy.

“Joking aside.” Juzo suddenly became very serious very quickly. The abrupt change in more almost gave the younger sibling whiplash at the rate it came. “I want you to be careful; alright?”

“Why?” The girl’s brows furrowed. 

“Listen, you didn’t hear this from me.” Her brother’s voice dropped very, very, low and he leaded in to whisper the words. “But Munakata thinks there’s something up with this school. If might not be safe, so be on your guard and keep an eye out.”

Of course, Munakata. It’s funny just how the sound of his name could fill her with a boiling rage. There was a time when she’d though she could like him; mild-mannered, driven, intelligent. He had all the traits about him that she’d come to admire in others, and his demeanor reminded her of Mahiru in some way. 

That was before he’d somehow convinced her brother to throw away his chance at a Pro-Boxing career. It became very clear, very quickly, that he wasn’t anything like she’d thought. He was just a manipulative bastard that was all take and no give, dragging her brother and Yukizome along to fill his own ambitions without anything to give in return. 

As if it weren’t enough that her brother hand given up his dream for the jerk; Yukizome also seemed to have a huge crush on him. Why her brother had designed to sign his life away for the pompous bastard was beyond her.

“Why would he think that?” She keeps her voice admirably level.

“I can’t give you all the details.” Her brother says seriously, placing both his hands on her shoulders. “But I want you to keep you head down; alright? And come to me if you see anything suspicious. Even if it’s a little thing. You come directly to me and no one else, and call me every day so I know you’re alright.”

He isn’t playing around with this.

“Alright.”

☆♤♡◇♧☆

The first day of classes were very…

You doesn’t expect it to be quite so dull.

She knew it was just the reserve course, but she hadn’t expected her class to feel so lifeless. It could just be a rich kid thing, but none of the other students acted like they had any life in them. There was an air of hopelessness that made the very colors or the room seem dimmer than they should.

It was…disconcerting.

So far, only one of her classmates seemed to have any sort of life in them, a boy by the name of Hinata Hajime. She’d spoken to him a bit, but he seemed largely unconcerned with becoming friends. He was mainly distracted by the dullness of their class. The boy seemed disturbed by the colorlessness of their school and the disinterests of their teachers.

Despite Hinata’s apathy she stuck by him for the first week. 

It’s not that she particularly wants to be his friend or anything; he just seemed to be the only one that had any sort of life to him.

Honestly, she’s not sure why he’s even in the reserve course. Hinata was remarkably intuitive, with a wealth of interpersonal knowledge that made it really easy for him to read people.

It feels like he should be an Ultimate, but he’d somehow been overlooked by the world.

They don’t become friends, not really, but they do gravitate toward one another when a group project is assigned.

☆♤♡◇♧☆

Everyday Mahiru met her for lunch around the school fountain.

At first Mahiru came alone, sometimes with a packed lunch and sometimes with money to leave campus, but always alone.

After a while, though, she started bringing friends she made in the Main Course. 

The first girl was surprisingly sassy girl who looked a little too young for high school. Saionji, the SHSL Traditional Dancer it turned out, was a clingy little thing that had become quite taken with Mahiru.

Sato couldn’t find it in herself to be jealous of the attention Mahiru gave to her. Saionji just looked too much like a little kid for her to resent the attention she lost. Though it still stung that, despite all the time Sato had lost with Mahiru, the photographer still brought someone else she was able to spend far more time with.

It was irrational, unreasonable, illogical.

Disgusting.

Guilt may have been a big motivator towards befriending the dancer. 

The next girl Mahiru brought along was a rather loud girl with the most ridicules and colorful hair she’d ever seen. Mioda Ibuki, apparently, was a hardcore rocker and SHSL Musician. Lunch was never peaceful when Mioda was there, but she was unbelievably sweet and went about of her way to be helpful in her own strange, eccentric, way.

Another girl, Tsumiki Mikan, was SHSL Ultimate Nurse. Between the shyness, the clumsiness, and the ability to attract trouble from miles away it would not surprise Sato that Twumiki became a nurse out of pure necessity alone.

Honestly, they were all a bit strange, but it was nice to make so many friends. During middle school it had mostly only been her and Mahiru. That Kuzuryu bitch, bully she was, went out of her way to make sure that Mahiru didn’t have any friends.

Envious as she was, Sato couldn’t help but be thankful to these new friends.

☆♤♡◇♧☆

Sato made it a point to have dinner with her brother as often as possible.

Dinner between them didn’t happen too often, since Juzo also had a lot of nightshifts and nights when he went to visit Yukizome, but they still met up more often than not.

Sometimes, if Juzo had the time and if she didn’t have much homework, they’d go to the gym together and workout. Some good-natured jabs were always thrown between them; her brother took particular pleasure in mocking her weak punches.

Dinner conversations were basic summaries of their day, thrown together with mocking commentary from the listener, or angry rants venting their frustration.

If Juzo thought the amount of times Mahiru’s name came up was odd he never said anything. 

Her brother made the meals more often than not; having been cooking for the both of them since they were very little. He wasn’t the best cook in the world, but the meals were varied and pretty good for the most part. Sato only cooked when Juzo came was bone weary and too tired for anything but a hot shower and lying slouched over the dinner table.

Those days came more often than they used to.

“Keep your head down.” Juzo always reminded her those bone tired nights. “Just focus on schoolwork and make sure you don’t piss anyone off. Promise?”

“Promise.” She always responded; never asking the questions she wanted. Nights like these made her feel guilty she’d ever applied to Hope’s Peak. 

Her brother was emptying his wallet and savings just to keep her in a place he didn’t want her to be; all so she could be with Mahiru.

It baffled her sometimes that he was so understanding of her desire to follow her friend, but then she’d remember Munakata and then any sweetness she felt from his compassion became bitter. 

Unlike her, Juzo had a life and options better than following someone else’s dreams. He’d been the World Champion Boxer before he’d even finished High School, and he could’ve done so much more if he hadn’t decided Munakata’s stupid projects were more important than his own life. 

Sato could admit she was more than a bit biased, and maybe that wasn’t fair, but Juzo…

She didn’t just love her brother, she admired him. Juzo had built himself from the ground up; going from knuckle dusting in back alleys to buy them nicer things to a World Champion boxer. 

He took himself, a piece scrape metal ruined by neglect, and made a diamond.

Was there anything more inspiring?

Sato didn’t have any illusions about her own life. She was plain, barely worth looking at, and the few notable qualities about her didn’t at much to her appeal. He intellect, looks, talents, and presence were all barley notable. She hadn’t made something of herself like Juzo, and it was likely she never would. 

The only thing she’d ever really wanted was for Juzo and Mahiru to be successful and fulfill their dreams. Helping them, that was her dream.

☆♤♡◇♧☆

Despite her insistence to the rest of the class, Hinata is the only one that call her Sato.

“I get it.” He says ideally over a project on cell identification they’re working on together. “You don’t want to be associated with your family. A lot of people are in a similar boat.”

That’s not the reason for her insistence, the real reason being that her brother is head of security and she wants to avoid confusion, but his insight concerns her nevertheless.

She almost asks about his own family, but he turns his attention to the next question before she can.

☆♤♡◇♧☆

Her life at Hope’s Peak isn’t a bad one overall. She can even say she enjoys it. 

Everything was looking up for her. She was spending time with her brother, she was with Mahiru often, she made friends with a lot of the main course students, she hadn’t seen her parents in a while, and she finally seemed to have a bright future ahead of her.

The that bitch Kuzuryu transferred into her class.

☆♤♡◇♧☆

One of the reason Sato fell for Mahiru was because of her sweetness.

Mahiru, while at times a little overbearing, was unwaveringly sweet and kind as well. Her outlook on life was cynical, but beautiful. She saw just as much good in everyone as she saw bad, and was willing to wear down the walls around people.

Kuzuryu was not someone whose wall could be worn.

Maybe it had something to do with her family, or maybe it was just her nature, but she had no time to let anyone in that wasn’t her precious brother and that creepy friend of his.

Kuzuryu Natsumi’s brother was her entire world.

Sato, much as she didn’t want to admit it, could empathize with the yakuza girl.

Sato’s brother may not have been her entire world, but he was a giant part of it. The deference between her and Kuzuryu is that she made room for other people.

Kuzuryu must have been jealous, or lonely, or just plain spiteful. Whatever the case, she took it out on everyone around her; lashing out even when the people outside her walls tried to help her.

Mahiru seemed to be a favorite target of hers.

Sato had never been one to stand aside and let bullies have their way, and she was always ready to throw a good punch if that was what it took. Mahiru being the target just made it easier for her to throw caution to the wind.

Unfortunately, Kuzuryu was not someone you could deck in the face and walk away from. She was a yakuza princess. Her father was the head of the yakuza, her brother would be the next head, and she most likely had gotten heavily involved in her family’s “work” a few times herself. 

Even if she didn’t have an ever revolving legion of bodyguards, she could ruin your life if she wanted to bad enough. Kill you even.

Mahiru wasn’t killed, but she did face a lot of harassment.

There wasn’t anything Sato could do about it other than argue it out with Kuzuryu. Going to Juzo wouldn’t stop her, and would likely only get him in trouble with the yakuza. The teachers wouldn’t do anything, not when Kuzuryu’s brother was an Ultimate and her family was cutting checks for the reserve course, and even Mahiru didn’t want to say much against the girl because she was “classmates with her brother” and she would “talk to him about it later.”

Either way, the bullying probably wouldn’t stop.

☆♤♡◇♧

As if bothering Mahiru wasn’t bad enough, Kuzuryu's attention zeroed in on Hinata.

Contrary to everything Sato knew about Kuzuryu, the girl seemed to be trying to draw the boy in. The archer had become well versed in the way the yakuza girl acted, and from the very first moment her eyes landed on Hinata something seemed to shift in them. 

The way Kuzuryu bragged about her brother being an Ultimate, the way she unsubtly explained her yakuza connections and place in the hierarchy, even the way she insult him…

She was trying to win him over; spell out the benefits of associating with her.

As much as it baffled Sato, it made sense.

Kuzuryu has taken over as Hinata’s partner on projects, deeming him as “the least stupid and pathetic person in this class.” She gravitated around him during classes, like a shark circling it’s prey, and grabbed him up before anyone else could catch his attention during free time.

Sato couldn’t say exactly what Kuzuryu wanted with him, but she’d be damned before she let the yakuza get it without a fight. Hinata may not be a close friend, but she cared enough about him to not let the bitch sink her claws into him.

So she corners Kuzuryu as they’re leaving for lunch, luring the girl towards the restrooms before rounding on her with all the fury of the Sakakura line. “I don’t know what you want with Hinata, but you better back the fuck off.”

Kuzuryu wasn’t fazed at all, she just gave that infuriating smirk. “What? You want some of that or something? Your girlfriend won’t be happy with that.”

Sato’s fist slammed into the wall. “I not joking around!

“Nether am I.” Kuzuryu’s voice sharpens. “You’re the one that needs to back off. Hinata’s mine, go crawl back to your ugly skank.”

It took every ouch of self-control she had not to break that bitch’s nose. Even then she had to remind herself that the head of securities little sister being charged with assault would be a bad thing.

“I don’t know what you want with him.” Sato practically growled the words, because now he did have an inkling of an idea, and she didn’t like it at all. “But you need to back the fuck off and leave both him and Mahiru alone.”

“You into three ways now?” Kuzuryu sneered. “You can keep your precious little photo bitch, but Hinata’s got more important things to do than fuck a two dollar whore like you.”

“Oh, and I guess you’re those more important things.” The archer zeroed in on the yakuza. “Good luck, he already has a girlfriend.”

Or so she thinks, she does see him spend his lunches with some pink-haired girl a lot, but it could just be a close friend or a relative.

Kuzuryu goes deadly silent either way.

“For now.” The words have a certain chilling factor to them; like a promise whispered in dark rooms. “But by the time school ends he’ll be my Peko.”

With that Kuzuryu leaves the restroom, not even bothering to look back at the seething archer she leaves behind.

Sato couldn’t say what a Peko was, but she knows she won’t let Hinata become one.

☆♤♡◇♧☆

The last straw come when Mahiru meets her late for lunch.

All the talks with the older Kuzuryu sibling did nothing to stop the yakuza princess. If anything, the bullying became more intense than ever. It had gotten to such extremes that one of Juzo’s subordinates had even tried to hand out a warning to the young girl. The man apparently suffered a bit for that one, if his avoidance of the girl was anything to go by.

Mahiru suffered more and more any time an attempt was made to stop the bullying. Even her career had taken a small hit; with potential buyers skipping over her photos whenever they saw her name attached to them.

But then Mahiru showed up to their meeting place, a cut on her forehead, and her lunchbox missing.

Her camera was broken too.

“I’ll knock her teeth out.” Sato had jumped up, ready to hunt the girl down.

“Sato. Don’t.” Mahiru stared down at her camera mournfully. Sure, the school would likely replace it, but it had been important to her. It was one she’d gotten for her birthday from her mother, if Sato recalled correctly. “It’s not worth it.”

“This has to stop!” The viridian girl hissed. 

“I know, I know.” The redhead placed a weary hand on her shoulder. “But assaulting her won’t stop anything, I’ll only make it worse.”

“I…” Sato deflated under the weight of Mahiru’s tired gaze. “…I know…”

Mahiru pulled her down, sitting beside her on the fountain edge, and lye her head on the archer’s shoulder. “Don’t worry; it can’t last forever.”

“What if it does?” Sato knew she shouldn’t worry her friend, but it was a question that needed to be asked. “What will we do then?”

“We can leave the country.” Mahru answered with a small and wistful smile. “We can go all over the world and take beautiful photos, just like we always talked about. Just me and you, together.”

Sato’s heart may have skipped several beats.

“We’re going to start with Norway, just like we always dreamed, with those beautiful mountains and the Aurora Borealis.” Mahiru practically breathed the words.

Sato’s heart wasn’t skipping anymore, but it was racing faster than ever before.

“Sato.” Mahiru pulled herself up and stared deeply into lilac eyes. “When we graduate, lets go to Norway together.”

“…Mahiru…” Sato felt her cheeks redden. She could barely breath under the weight of her own happiness.

“…You said my name…” Mahiru’s sweet smile could melt the stoniest of hearts; the blush spreading across her cheeks made the most beautiful picture Sato had ever seen. “Is that a yes?”

“Yes.” Sato let word flood over them; filled with all the emotion she’d repressed for her friend. It was freeing, knowing that Mahiru wanted the archer by her side forever. “Yes.”

“Sato.” Mahiru’s blush darkened. “Sato. I’m so happy.”

“Me too.” 

The redhead discreetly surveyed the area; seeing only a very distracted Hinata with the equally distracted pinkette. Secure in the knowledge that she and Sato had their privacy, she leaned in.

The kiss was far from perfect, inexperienced as they were in such things. Their teeth clashed a bit at first, and it was a bit messy. They were slow to start, and hesitant to move forward with anything new. But it was easily the happiest moment of Sato’s life.

I’m not disgusting. Sato felt a weight she hadn’t known shrouded her shoulder fall way. I can’t be if Mahiru feels the same.

Marhiru only loved beautiful things.

When they pulled away they both had big, stupid, smiles on their faces.

“We’ll be doing this a lot in Norway.” Mahiru sighed.

“I hope so.” Sato’s smile was unending.

“Just remember Sato.” Mahiru cupped the archer’s cheek’s. “No matter how bad it get, we just have to count down the days until Norway.”

“Okay.” Sato nodded. She’d have agreed to anything to stay in this moment.

☆♤♡◇♧☆

Her joy hadn’t died down by the time Juzo made dinner that night. If anything, her good mood seemed to infect her brother. He hummed when the whole time he cooked; grinning when he set his plate in front of her.

“What’s got you in such a good mood?” He leaned back, pushing his chair back on two legs in a way that would normally annoy her. “Finally start that love brawl?”

“Something like that.” She poked at her food softly. 

“Told you you’d be beating ‘em off with a stick.” Juzo chewed lightly at his food. “When should I get the shovel ready? Might as well get that traditional talk out of the way.”

“That won’t be necessary.” Sato snorted. “I’m perfectly capable of hitting them with a shovel myself if they break my heart.”

“Just make sure to knock them out first.” Her brother leaned forward. “Pour booze all over them too. We can make it look like he got into a drunken bar brawl, or ran into a wall like an idiot.”

Sato’s stomach dropped a little at the “he”, but nothing could kill her mood now. “I’m underage; how would I get the booze?”

“You just let big brother take care of that.” Juzo nodded. “It’ll work out beautifully. If you’re on campus I can even be the angry cop.”

“That poor jerk.” Sato smile. “Never even saw it coming.”

“That’s what he gets for breaking my little sister’s heart.” Juzo smirked. “What’s his name anyway?”

Sato froze, dread pooling in her.

It wasn’t that she was ashamed of Mahiru, she could never be ashamed of Mahiru, but…

…he fear was still there…

As much as she wanted to sing to the world about her…girlfriend…there were reasons she didn’t. 

What would people say if they found out? What would her parents do? What would potential employers do? What would the school do? Would the student’s ostracize them? Would people attack them? Would anyone help if they were attacked?

What would Juzo do?

Sato swallowed her fear. She’d tell him before she left for Norway, but for now…

“You’re not gonna stalk them are you?” She leaned in. “How creepy.”

“Alright.” Juzo accepted the deflection. “Just introduce me if things get serious.”

“I will.” Sato mumbled into her food. “I promise.”

☆♤♡◇♧☆

True to her prediction, the school buys Mahiru a new camera.

Mahiru decided to celebrate by going on their first real date together. 

They spend the whole day at a nearby park doing the most couple things they could think of without outing their relationship. Turns out they don’t have to try too hard, it’s easy for to girls to hold hands and taken boat rides without being signaled out. Mahiru blamed it on toxic masculinity, but didn’t let it bother her date.

It was weird to do a lot of couple things and be referred to as “really good friends. It was better than a lynch mob, though, and it wasn’t anything that could ruin their day.

Mahiru couldn’t stop snapping photos everywhere, wanting to detail every part of their day, and she had Sato stop and pose in front of almost everything she shot. It made the viridian-haired girl wish she’d dolled herself up more instead of just wearing some slightly nicer close, but she hadn’t wanted to risk Juzo or Yukizome finding out.

Mahiru looked beautiful in her sky-blue sundress and cute sunhat. Sato couldn’t stop herself from hugging the photographer every other moment; overcome with the joy of being on a date with this beautiful creature.

They stopped for lunch under a nice and shady oak tree. Mahiru had apparently been planning this long before she received the camera, because she’d packed a whole picnic inside her bag. The redhead had filled the bag with her and Sato’s favorite sandwiches and drinks, with more than a few sweets thrown in.

The sweets did nothing to stop them from getting ice-cream together. Mahiru normally was a bit more health conscious, but made an exception for their date and ordered a double scoop of strawberry. Sato, unable to help herself, ordered three scoops the cheesecake favor with the same justification.

“You’re an athlete Sato.” Mahiru laughed when saw the cone in her girlfriend’s hand. “You’re going to get fat and ruin your muscle mass. Then what would your brother think?”

“Let’s not talk about my brother right now?” Sato gave her cone a hug lick. “Right now it’s just me and you.”

“Alright.” Mahiru blushed. “I think you’re going to get fat and ruin your muscle mass. Your archery skills are ruined.”

“One won’t kill me.” Sato declared as she took a defiant bite of the ice-cream, regretting it as her teeth started to numb, but refusing to show it.

Mahiru smiled and snapped several more photos.

Later, once it started to get dark out, Mahiru dropped her off at her dorm. She stood there as the said their goodbyes, fiddling with her camera nervously before regaining her confidence. The photographer leaned in confidently an pressed her lips to Sato’s.

This kiss was softer and neater than their last. They were both more sure than before, but Mahiru seemed to know more about what to do. Her tongue traced Sato’s lips confidently, and she was able to take control and deepen the kiss. She took lead of the kiss, and Sato was more than willing to follow.

There was a snap.

Sato hadn’t even realized her eyes had dropped closed. She turned her attention in the direction of the noise, only to see Mahiru had reached out her camera and taken a picture of them one-handed.

“It’ll probably look awful.” The photographer stated honestly. “But I never wanted to forget this.”

“You must have practiced for this.” Sato blushed so hard she had to hide her face. “There’s no way you could be that good at this.”

Mahiru smiled.

☆♤♡◇♧☆

Sato honestly thought things couldn’t get better for her.

She should have known Kuzuryu would ruin it.

☆♤♡◇♧☆

It had only been a month before Kuzuryu demands to talk to her in the music room. She had that awful smug smirk painted on her face as she held a camera up to Sato’s face. “Don’t you look sweet.”

Sato could only stare in horror at the image.

It was her and Mahiru.

“What do you want?” Sato’s voice cracked ore than she’d like to admit.

“Oh. Nothing.” She sang out the words, her face brighter and more innocent than it should look in this situation. “Just wondering what would happen if this photo got spread around a bit.”

No.

No, no, no.

“Please.” Her voice broke. Her whole body was shaking horribly, and it was becoming hard to stand. “Don’t do it.”

“What do I get if I don’t?” Kuzuryu leaned in. 

“I’m begging you.” Sato didn’t hesitate. “I’ll get on my knees and beg.”

“Hmmm.” The yakuza seems to think on it for a minute. “It’s tempting, but I don’t think so. I get more out of it if I spread it all over the school.”

“I’ll do anything.” Sato really did beg. “Anything.”

“Too late.” Kuzuryu smirked.

Sato only saw red.

☆♤♡◇♧☆

“It was a pervert.” Sato repeats to herself over and over and over again. “It was a pervert.”

☆♤♡◇♧☆

Juzo is too busy to come to dinner that night.

It’s better that way, she wasn’t very hungry, and she didn’t want to try and sit through the meal and pretend nothing happened.

“Forgive me.” She whispers into her pillow. “FORGIVE ME!”

“Never.” A ghost whispers back. “I’ll never forgive you.”

☆♤♡◇♧☆

She wakes up to her brother brushing her hair with a calloused hand. He looks dead on his feet, and he’s slow to start talking.

“Sato.” He’s so, so, tired. “I have something to tell you about a classmate of yours.”

She already knows. 

She tunes out her brother as he explains Kuzuryu’s death, but she can’t out tune the disgust in his voice when he talks about the murderer and promises her that he would find them before they hurt anyone else. Juzo brushes her hair the entire time; assuring her it was alright if she wanted to stay in today.

Sato vomits into the trash bin beside her bed.

Juzo cleans it for her as he assures her that it would all be alright.

☆♤♡◇♧☆

She does stay in that day.

☆♤♡◇♧☆

Mahiru confronts her the next day with a photo and an admission that she’d figured out who killed Kuzuyru.

It makes her sick and panicked and every other awful emotion she couldn't repress. Sweet, beautiful, wonderful Mahiru knew what she’d done. Even as she made her excuses and somehow convinced Mahiru to delete the photo, she knew it was all over. There was no Norway for them now, not after what she’d done. Mahriu would try, but the guilt would eat her up inside until no amount of love could shield her from it.

It was over. They were over. Mahiru just hadn’t realized it yet.

Hinata approaches her, full of more worry and compassion than she deserved, asking questions like he knew as well.

She can’t take the guilt, so she runs.

☆♤♡◇♧☆

It wouldn’t take long for Juzo to find out either would it?

Even as she's dumping the remains of Mahiru’s physical copy of the photo, she can’t help but lament that it was a temporary solution. 

A young girl, princess of the yakuza, rich, pretty, at a prestigious school full of the world’s most talented. There was no way top minds weren’t going to be on this; it was only a matter of time before someone two and two together. 

☆♤♡◇♧☆

“You!” The angry voice hisses. “You killed my sister you bitch!”

I’m so sorry, she wants a lot of people to hear. Juzo, Mahiru, Hinata, the boy in front of her. She’d never meant for it to be like this. She wishes them well; hopes they’ll be okay and move on to have bright futures.

I love you, she thinks, regretting that she never said the words out loud.

She dies alone.

**Author's Note:**

> I also call this fic, "The One Where The Sakakura Family Is Cursed To Die Horribly And Alone In An Attempt To Protect The One They Love".


End file.
